Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus, an automatic installation system and an automatic installation method for efficiently installing a plurality of image forming apparatuses.
Description of the Related Art
When newly installing an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (multifunction peripheral) or an SFP (single-function printer), it is necessary to perform installation operations according to the usage environment at the customer's premises. Operations to install an image forming apparatus require a large amount of time and labor. Therefore, in a case where similar installation operations can be performed for a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the software as well as the setting values and verification data and the like that are required as the usage environment are prepared in advance. Further, systems have been proposed for automatically and efficiently performing such installation operations by processing the aforementioned items in accordance with installation instruction information. Furthermore, when performing individual settings for each of a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a correspondence list between target identifiers that can specify the image forming apparatuses that are the targets and the individual data is managed in a host system. A system has also been proposed that implements individual installation operations in accordance with the aforementioned correspondence list (see International Publication No. WO97/19395).
However, in some cases setting values that must be set individually with respect to respective image forming apparatuses are determined depending on the place or department in which the image forming apparatuses are to be positioned. For example, in some cases the positioning place or the device name will differ depending on the floor or department in which the respective image forming apparatuses are to be positioned, and address books to be registered and the like will also differ. When positioning a plurality of image forming apparatuses of the same model at a customer's premises, normally arbitrary image forming apparatuses among the image forming apparatuses that are delivered are merely positioned at designated places, and it is not the case that the positioning places and image forming apparatuses are matched beforehand. That is, since individual data that is determined according to the positioning place and the like and target identifiers of the image forming apparatuses cannot be associated in advance, the system proposed in International Publication No. WO97/19395 cannot be adapted to such kinds of cases.